Develop a system to optimize your patient care experience.
- “Do I need to dismiss?” → contagious / imminent emergency
- “Does my patient need antibiotic prophylaxis?”
- Cardiac health
- Immunocompromised
- “What emergency do I need to prepare for?”
Pt. Chief Concern
(1) Moving toward pleasure
(2) Moving away from pain
Identify Concern Physically
- Intraoral / extraoral compulsory evaluation
- Note extent of missing teeth and prosthetic work
- Calculate appropriate radiographs
ALARA Radiographs
There’s a fine balance between listening to and following the direction of the patient. The trust you build on day one is the foundation of every appointment that follows.
- Radiographs are a critical diagnostic tool
- However, a diagnosis can’t be made from radiographs alone — it still requires a thorough clinical exam
- Create a list of findings that need further investigation during the clinical exam
Periodontal Exam
- Full-mouth periodontal probing
- Note mobility
- Note gingival margin
- Note crown-to-root ratio
- Diagnose a prognosis for each tooth
- You need to spend time evaluating your findings
- Most complex plans take more than one visit
Intra-oral / Extra-oral Exam
- Evaluate every tooth and surface, and document it
- Document existing conditions
- Document all hard- and soft-tissue findings
- Test any teeth with suspicious pulpal or periodontal involvement
- Let radiographs guide your exam
- Take intraoral / extraoral “face time” photos for aesthetic cases
Study Models / Scans
- Bite registration (mounted or unmounted)
- Facebow
- Mount on an articulator
- CBCT
- Articulation software
- Develop 2–3 treatment plans, max
- Plan around the patient’s responsibility / financial capacity
- Anticipate common questions on complex procedures and prepare concise answers
- Remember patient motivators — speak their language
- Use clean, attractive models
- Discuss priorities — keep long-term care in mind
- Match and Mirror body language
- Use transitional language
- Ask whether they prefer the “big picture” or the details
Always Schedule the Next Appointment Before the Patient Leaves the Office
- Every patient leaves with an appointment scheduled
- Confirm their preferred method of contact
- Outline your appointment / cancellation policy
- Offer a discount for pre-payment
Avoid “Do you want to schedule…?”
Try “When would you like to…?”
If patient says “I’ll call you,”
Try “We book up, so let me hold a spot for you — when you call, we can always adjust it.”
Deliver What You Promise
